We often hear from parents who say that practice looks a lot more fun in lessons than it does at home! How do we do it?

As often as we can in a lesson, we engage kids in practice by adding a little imagination into fundamental skills. As Mary Poppins says, “A spoonful of sugar helps the medicine go down.” The same is true for practice when you make it into a game!

Here are three games you can play with your child to get them practicing their straight-leg kick in the water. Kicking is fundamental to two of the four major strokes your child will learn on their way to becoming a proficient swimmer.

By the way, they all require some creative narration on your part! Don’t worry, you got this.

1. Motorboat stuck in the mud!

To play this one, you don’t need any toys. Have your child hold onto the side of the pool while floating on their front.

Now picture it, they’re the motorboat zooming around through shallow waters. And they get stuck in the mud! Use your narration to have them speed up their kick or slow down as they go through different imaginary areas. Check out the video below to see this in action.

“Uh oh, the motorboat is getting stuck – it’s slowing down!” Count down the seconds for them so they know how long they have to maintain a certain speed. “Alright, we need to get out of the mud – kick really fast!”

2. Don’t Let the Turtle Bite Your Toes!

For this, you’ll need a floating toy. If you have a sea creature, great. If not, a ball will do. Have your child place their hands on the steps of the pool at a level where they can just place their chin in the water.

Uh oh! The sea turtle is on its way to nibble their toes! Place the toy in the water behind them and have them kick to send waves that push it away. You can leave it free floating or stay behind and move it closer and farther. Have them look back periodically to see how well they’re doing.

3. Let’s Rescue the Sea Creature

Like the last one, this game requires a floating toy. A sea creature, a boat – as long as it floats it’ll do. If you have an assortment of floating toys, let your child pick their favourite for this game.

Once you choose a toy, have your child throw it into the centre of the pool. Now, it’s time to go rescue it! With both their hands on a barbell, have them kick to propel themselves towards the toy. Swim or walk alongside them and encourage them (use your narrative skills!). Once you reach the toy, grab it for them and have them turn to bring it back to “port” (AKA the steps).

You can up the challenge on this game by throwing the toy farther away each time.

Are there other games you play with your kids to help them practice in the pool? Let us know in the comments! And, join us on Facebook and Twitter for lots more family and swim-themed stuff!

Did other activities take over your family’s schedule during the school year? Or does your child have that ONE skill they really want to master? Maybe, you’re just looking to give them a little confidence boost before you head to the cottage?

Whether you’re looking to get ahead or catch up, the Aqua Life Swim Academy is here to help your child reach their summer swim goals!

Why Summer Intensive Swim Lessons?

One summer, we had a new family join us for swim lessons. After a couple of weeks, the mom told me her daughter had learned more with us over two weeks of intensive lessons than she had in TWO YEARS of private lessons elsewhere. And honestly, we hear that a lot.

There’s lots of reasons intensive lessons are ideal for so many families.

For starters, daily lessons make it easier to pick up where you left off in your last class. Rather than trying to remember what they learned a week ago, material and techniques stay fresh in the student’s mind (and muscles!).

The frequency of our intensive swim lessons also helps to build stronger relationships between the instructor and the student. Seeing each other everyday for a week helps them to connect and establish trust, which ultimately makes for better learning.

And, a lot of parents have told us it’s a great way to get the family out of the house during the summer. Imagine it: get up and get everyone moving, hit the pool for your lesson, and then you have the rest of the day ahead of you. Plus, it’s a great way to burn off some of your kid’s pent up summer energy!

We also have the best offer we’ve ever had on lessons for a limited time only.

50% OFF your second week of summer intensive swim lessons when you register between May 1 and May 10, 2017.

Summer Intensive Swim Lessons look like this:

Daily 30 minutes lesson, from Monday to Thursday

Run on a flexible schedule, with daytime lessons at the Brookstreet Hotel in Kanata and evening lessons at the Best Western Plus in Nepean

Any two weeks in July & August – no need to be consecutive (build it around your vacation)

For kids & adults!

Have two kids? Or want to hop in the water yourself? No problem – feel free to divide your lessons between your family members however you see fit!

One week:

Two weeks (after May 10):

Two weeks (May 1-10):

Four weeks (May 1-10):

Semi Private / Swim 101/201/301

$109+hst

$218+hst

$163.50+hst

(Save $54.50)

$327+hst

(Save $109)

Private

$189+hst

$378+hst

$283.50+hst

(Save $94.50)

$567+hst

(Save $189)

Conditions:

Offer valid between May 1 – 10, 2017.

Lessons must be scheduled at time of purchase.

Do you want to learn more about summer intensive lessons? Or, are you interested in registering? Drop us a line or give us a call!